 Basic theme, which von Wolzogen called, Love Feast Motive |
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 Grundthema
(au) Last Supper (midi) |
Whilst it would be an oversimplification to say that all of the musical material of
Parsifal was spun out of this opening melody, it is possible, with a little
imagination, to relate to it almost every one of the motives that appear in this guide. Wagner
said that the prelude contains all he needs and it all unfolds like a flower from its
bud
. This is as much as to say that the entire work has been woven as a web of related
melodies and harmonies, like cloud-layers that keep separating and combining again
. Note
how the melody modulates from the tonic key to the mediant and back again. Tonic-mediant key
relationships are prominent in Parsifal, as are key relationships of a tritone.
It is traditional to divide this melody into three parts. Given the rich associations of
each part, it is neither easy to name them, nor very important what labels are attached to
these motives. The entire melody has been called the Love Feast
motif. The first part (A) has been labelled Fellowship, but I should
prefer to call it Redemption, because it is the melody to which, at
the end of the work, the chorus sing, Erlösung dem Erlöser
. The melody begins
with a rising tonic arpeggio, followed by the sixth. This chord is associated with Parsifal.
With a small modification, this rising phrase is used to represent the Grail Knights and, omitting the first note, Communion
(motif D becomes example D'). This part of the theme was one of Wagner's first musical ideas
for the work.
... finally, the revelation of "Nehmet hin mein Blut" -- R. tells me that
he wrote it down shortly before my return, with his hat and coat on, just as he was about to go
out to meet me. He has had to alter the words to fit it, he says; this scene of Holy Communion
will be the main scene, the core of the whole work; with the "Prize Song" in Die
Meistersinger, too, the melody came first, and he had adapted the words to it. He had
already told me yesterday that one must beware of having to extend a melody for the sake of the
words -- now today the chief passage ("Nehmet hin mein Blut um uns'rer Liebe willen, nehmet hin
meinen Lieb und gedenket mein' ewiglich") is there complete, in all its mildness, suffering,
simplicity and exaltation. "Amfortas' sufferings are contained in it", R. says to me.
 Left: Motive of the Wound Below: Spear motive |
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The second phrase of the melody (B), containing a characteristic falling fifth, is related to the Guilt of Amfortas. It is also associated with the Kiss and therefore lies at the centre of the work, just as it lies at the centre of the Grundthema. It is first heard in the Kiss variant immediately after the basic motif associated with Agony is heard towards the end of the prelude to the first act. The rising semitone is repeated, teasingly, falls, and leads into (G). But in Gurnemanz's narrative, at der Speer is ihm entsunken, we hear the teasing semitone and the (B) form again on the wind instruments. This is both a recollection of the seduction of Amfortas, and a presentiment of the attempted seduction of Parsifal, at which the Kiss motif is heard again.
The third phrase (C) is the motif of the Spear. It contains a four-note motif (G) that will become the important motif of Suffering (#4), the three descending notes marked as (X) in example (C')). The motif of the Spear begins with the first three notes of a rising major scale, a reflection of the falling triplet that will be associated with Amfortas (#5).
The melody can be further divided into even smaller fragments. Beyond a certain point, the importance of finding a fragment within one of the other motives becomes subjective. The fragments that are, in my view, of significance, are marked in the figure above (D-H). Fragment (D) is the melody of the Communion, shown in example (D'). The seemingly trivial fragment (E) is developed, during the latter part of the prelude to the first act, together with (G), into the motif associated with the Agony of the wounded Amfortas. Also towards the end of the prelude we hear the development of fragment (H, a "beheaded" form of B) which seems to be associated with the king's unhealed Wound.